A FUNDRAISING veteran from Basingstoke has been celebrated by his employer as the country marks Armed Forces Day.

Rusty Cole served 15 years in the Royal Air Force working in various trades and specialities, but five years ago he left his post in the RAF seeking a different lifestyle.

Struggling with the nature of the office jobs he found himself in, Rusty saw an opportunity to join the Amazon Web Services (AWS) team and took the leap into tech.

He now works as a senior programme manager in the National Security Defence and Public Safety department at Amazon.

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On Armed Forces Day (Saturday, June 24), Rusty has been talking about his experience of leaving the military and joining Amazon.

Speaking on why he chose to join Amazon, Rusty said: “The AWS role that came up when I was job-hunting was the perfect fit for me. The company wanted someone with a defence background, and I’d always been interested in developing my skills in the latest tech. My job involves a lot of risk analysis, mitigation and strategy, which happen to be the skills I used most in my last few years in the RAF.

“As a workplace, Amazon is fundamentally different to anywhere else because of the dedicated support group for ex-servicemen and women called the ‘Warriors’ group. I’ve never known a connection like it with colleagues outside of the RAF because we still have military banter, and we understand each other completely.”

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Outside work, Rusty is passionate about serving his local community, with a particular focus on ex-military personnel who are struggling with their mental health.

As someone with mechanical skills and a love of cycling, Rusty saw an opportunity during the first Covid-19 lockdown to offer a bike repair service for the local community, which he ran from his garage.

With a little branding help from his wife, Rusty started Rusty’s Bike Shop, which has now become a business he runs alongside his work at Amazon. After the page’s first social media post, 56 people got in touch for support, and what was once planned to be a temporary pastime became a passion project and a business for Rusty.

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Rusty also regularly fundraises for Combat Stress and the Royal British Legion by hosting and taking part in cycling challenges including a 24hr Spinathon in his front garden, cycles from the UK to France, and later this year, the UK to Belgium, which he will embark on as part of a group.

For ex-servicemen or women who are thinking about joining Amazon, Rusty has some advice: “Amazon has an open-door policy and there are so many people from a military background to connect with. Joining a civilian workplace doesn’t have to be daunting, you just have to learn from the people you connect with.

“I’ve never met anyone at Amazon who’s said no to any request I’ve had to fundraise for the Royal British Legion or Combat Stress, or any event I’ve wanted to hold with the Warriors. Everybody is open and there is so much the company wants to give. The world is your oyster, you just have to be open minded.”